This invention relates to a skimming vessel for skimming the surface of a body of water for collecting floating hydrocarbons and water from the surface, feeding it to an oil/water separator and separating the hydrocarbons from the water.
In the past, a wide variety of oil skimming vessels have been provided for skimming the surface of a body of water for collecting oil floating on the surface from oil spills, leaking oil wells, and the like. Boats of this type generally operate on the principle that oil having a lower density than water will float on the water and can thereby be skimmed off. A weir or skimmer is mounted to collect only the surface portion of the water, which is then collected in a tank to give the oil a chance to float to the top where it is removed and the water directed back into the body of water. Skimming vessels of this type typically work in conjunction with floating booms which are connected for directing or collecting the floating oil within the perimeter of the booms. Another common way of collecting and separating oil floating on a body of water is to use a boat having a rotating belt made out of synthetic fiber or other material specially selected for the oil to stick to and which allows the water to run through. The belt can be positioned and driven as an endless conveyor with one end protruding into the surface of the water and a squeegee arrangement located at the other end of the endless belt removes the oil collected on the belt which is then dropped into a storage container.
The present invention is for an inexpensive floating vessel operating on a skimming principle which uses the engine propellor for drawing the surface oil/water mixture into the skimming system in one mode and for traveling at a faster rate of speed in a second or traveling mode. The system also provides for a more sophisticated oil/water separator mounted on the floating vessel. Most oil/water separators allow the oil/water mixture to settle in a tank so that the oil will float to the top of the water where it is removed with a pump while the water is removed from the bottom of the tank. One prior oil/water separator adapted for land use can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,512 to McCarthy, et al., where the oil/water mixture is directed against an angled corrugated surface and then through corrugated baffle members and uses a last-in-last out separator for the oil/water mixture.
The oil/water separator of the present invention utilizes two tanks connected by a passageway in which the oil/water mixture is fed into the first tank, passes through a pair of check valves into the passageway where a plurality of baffles are mounted in a predetermined arrangement. The oil/water mixture is then fed into the second tank where the oil can be removed from the top and water from the bottom by a simple overflow arrangement.